Get Ready

 Get Ready!  Training starts on Monday.  So excited for this year's adventures.... and even more excited for the training group comradery these next few months!  Here we go!

Reviving the Blog

Hello running friends!  I am so excited to update this blog.  It has been a minute!   I could give you the list of excuses on where we have been, but what is the point.  We are here now!  While this is not a heavily read or followed blog, a team member mentioned the other day she missed it and it helped keep her motivated.  We also have a new team member this year training for her first half marathon - this will be fun to share her progress.  We also have some team members working on PRs.  Others are just working to staying moving.  In the end, we are STILL HERE and look forward to sharing our stories - and we are better when we are together.   Stand by..... blog revival coming soon!

Weekly Check-In April 10th

Another week in the books!  A few things on my mind this week.

Running - miles have been going good.  All of my three planned runs were accounted for this week and I even added an extra mile and a walk.  Last week the long run was six miles, this week it slid back to four miles to get ready for next week's seven miles.  "Going well" is a new perspective.  I thought I would be a little farther along with pace at this point.  First, pace doesn't matter.  It is not the end all be all, I know that.  I am moving.  Period.  But the past few years I have worked on increasing my pace - especially when I lost weight.  Recap.... I lost about 45 pounds right before COVID and has lost some weight prior to that so I was down about a total of 70 pounds over the past few years.  WOWZERS, running felt good.  Then COVID hit.  Newsflash.... weight gain happened.  I could go on and on why, but it doesn't matter.  I gained about 25 pounds back.  Not terrible, but not ideal.  My running has still been going well but I had to slow up a bit due to the lbs.

Pace - so where am I at?  When I started running about 10 years ago, I was at about a 13 minute mile, maybe even 14.  I remember when I got to around a 12 minute mile, I was so excited.  Then as I lost weight, I was running around a 10 minute mile for longer runs and was even at about a 9:40 for shorter runs.  I was SO impressed with myself.  Now that I am back up those few pounds (25 ugh).  It is a total mental game to be ok not running a 10 minute mile again.  BUT... I am still running.  45 year old busy working mom who kept running while earning a doctorate degree - I am still running.  So there's that.  And if I am really ok with pace, the slower time shouldn't matter.  A few weeks ago I was struggling a little bit.  Go out to fast, try to hit that 11 minute mile, tank soon, pain, followed by guilt.  Not a good pattern.  The past two weeks I have changed my mind set.  I have purposefully slowed down and now run my entire distance without walking and without being miserable.  My last few four milers have been right at a 12 minute mile.  I am good with that (for now).  And just to add...... I am a middle to back of the back runner and love the view back there.  To all runners, I am not judging your pace..... 14 minute mile and an 8 minute mile still run a mile.  I pay zero attention to other's pace.  For me, I use the pace as a benchmark and will shot to get back into the 10:30 range by mid-summer

Early Morning - the other thing on my mind has been early morning workouts.  My best running buddy is a morning person in general and likes to work out in the morning.  I don't even like to be out of bed in the morning.  I have NEVER been a morning person.  I have a hard time getting up and moving.  I am a night-owl so I stay up late - which makes mornings hard.  I have also had some struggles with mornings related to thyroid disease.  I have been stable in that area for a few years so it is getting a tad easier to get up.  Over the years I have maybe worked out a few times in the morning but nothing consistent.  Once I got into the NYC marathon, I have realized I need to take advantage of as many hours in my day as I can.  Last week, I went to bed a little earlier and got up at 6:00 am THREE times to work out!  That is a 100% improvement!  I have to admit, I did love later in the day knowing my work out was done.  On a day I wasn't planning on working out, I still woke up on my own before 6:00 am.  OMG what is happening to me?  I know this is a commitment I have to make in order to get all my workouts and runs in to prepare for 26.2.  Morning it is.

Weight Training -  the last thing on my mind is weight training.  I am trying to lose the 25 pounds I gained back and maybe even another 10.  I know where I need to be for nutrition and I know how to crush cardio with my runs.  What I have never mastered is weight training.  Of course I have read everything about weight training.  I know why it works.  But I just don't even know where to start.  Upper, lower, total body, sets, reps, blah blah blah. UGH.  The kicker... I have a full gym in my basement including all of the weights.  I just feel so overwhelmed.  This weekend, I finally took a deep dive and figured out a plan.  After reading several plans, I will commit to two upper body and two lower body works outs each week the next several weeks (not back to back).  I created a list of 15 different moves in each category and will rotate through a few of them each workout.  I plan 3 sets with 12 reps for about a 30-35 minute workout each.  Bonus.... tomorrow I plan to accomplish my first one at 6:00 am.  We will see how it goes and if the scale budges the next month.

Just a few photos this week.....

 

Weekend four mile run.  Look at that snow still!

 

I joined the Run with Aim group and this was our weekend challenge.  

All items accounted for!

I am a total spreadsheet geek.  Must be the teacher in me.  

I have this hanging in my work out room along with the list of exercises. 

Not a ton of photos this week but I have also posted almost daily - sometimes more - on my TikTok account (@calybeal).  I have fun making those silly videos - my teenagers just cringe when they see them, LOL

See you next week!

 

Return of the Blog!

I am BACK!  Hello hello!  I started this blog awhile back and have enjoyed sharing my team's running adventures.  I could go on and on about being busy.... but, blah blah blah.  No reason to chat about where I have been.  Let's chat about where I am going......

This isn't a widely read blog - I know that - and I am ok with that.  For me, this provides me a journaling space to write about my running life that excites me.  I could say it keeps me accountable, but that's not really true.  I have to keep myself accountable to lace up the shoes everyday and keep moving.  The blog allows me time to think and process my overall goals, to write about them, and to share the most important part..... the run photos :)

What has gone well since I paused writing?  My last two posts on the blog are my FAVORITE posts ever.  The run with Emma was the most meaningful ever.  I have some fun goals ahead of me but this one will always be at the top of the list for most important.  The other exciting post was my news about being a Grambassador for Grandma's Marathon (Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon) for the 2022 June race.  I have had so much fun sharing my progress with training.   On top of those two events, I have kept current with miles.  Over the past 2+ years I have kept up with my running.  For the most part, I have ran at least three times a week almost every week.  I am pretty proud that I have kept moving.

What hasn't gone so well since I paused writing?  Nutrition.  Period.  I am all over the place here.  I am working hard on fueling versus dieting (broken record, I have shared this before).  The other area that hasn't gone well is cross training.  I was doing so well with High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), weights, spinning, rowing, and elliptical but lately, this has been non-existant.  I know for sure cross training helped me reach my 13.1 PR goal a few years back.

Ok..... so what's the real reason for starting to write again?...........

My big news.   I entered in to the New York City Marathon lottery and I got in.  OMG.  So much to unpack here with this news.........

• One and done:  Remember that?  26.2 last year at Grandma's and I was never doing a marathon again.  Clearly that didn't last.  Shortly after finishing I already wanted to do another one and train more purposefully for the race

• First long distance solo race:  This will be the first time I venture to the start line alone without any of my running buddies.  My cousin signed up with me but didn't get in (so sad).  My other running buddies really don't have 26.2 miles on their minds (don't blame them).  I think I will be ok on the run - let's be honest, the view will be amazing, the crowd will be awesome, and I will be with 50,000 of my new running friends.  What I am dreading is the start line "alone".
  

• Humbled:  It is not lost on me that many, many people have tried for years to get into the marathon and have not been selected in the lottery.  I have no idea why the universe picked me to run but since I know this is such a desired race, I want to show up ready.  Can I finish, of course but I will take this lottery win and train for this race.... and I mean really train.  Will I move from the back of the pack?  Probably not.... and I am ok with that, but I will be ready to give it everything I have.  

So, here we go...... I plan to share my progress here with a weekly check in (maybe more but no promises).  I am pretty consistent with Instagram and TikTok for quick check ins but will use this to journal what on my mind as I train for 13.1 and 26.2.  Good to be back!

 

 

 

 

Whistlestop 2022

What. A. Race.   Friends reading this know all about Wendy.  For those of you who may not, read her profile over on the left tab under Running Buddies.  She unexpectedly passed away about a year ago leaving behind her sweet daughter Emma.  Whistlestop was one of Wendy’s favorite races.  She loved running in the woods.  Our running team (me, Liz and Michele) have missed our training runs together over the past year.  Grandma’s marathon weekend would have included Wendy.  We missed her on our runs, knew she loved Whistlestop, and knew her daughter Emma would love to run with us in memory of her mom.  Plans were put into motion early summer and we all signed up for the the Whistletop Half Marathon.

Training… to be honest, we were hit and miss with training this summer.  We only had about three runs with Emma in her jogging stroller.   There were many reasons why – including emotions – that just prevented a strong training season.   Although training more would have made sense, we knew no matter what we would finish this race.

Packet Pick Up… packet pick up is always fun and this one was especially cool since Emma was picking up her first ever race packet.   We got outside to take photos without our masks and Emma – who was in tears – reached out for a hug and said “thank you so much for this”.  Yep, then I was in tears.  I knew this was going to be a fun and emotional experience, but I really hadn’t put into perspective what this meant for Emma.

Race morning… all summer I was worried about the race being cancelled due to COVID.  I was also worried Emma would get sick and be in quarantine.  It looked like everything was going to be ok… then 5:30 am on race morning…. thunder and LIGHTENING!!  WHAT????  I was like… we got this far without the race being cancelled due to COVID and lightening will stop us.   I would be all for running in the rain but lightening in the woods might not be the best idea.   Thankfully by 7:00 am, the thunder and lightening had passed but it was still raining pretty good.  I wasn’t worried about us running – but was worried about Emma getting wet and cold.  By the time we got to the start line, the rain had stopped entirely and it was a beautiful morning (thank you Wendy).  While the morning was nice fall weather, the rest of the day was actually way too hot for a long run.  It was so humid with minimal to no breeze.  You can’t pick the weather on race day so just have to show up and put the work in.

The race… me, Liz and Michele had a strategy going into the race.  I had a buzzer that beeped every 1.5 minutes.  We followed a rotation of walking with Emma for 1.5 minutes, running with her for 1.5 minutes, and then switching pushers.  We knew these intervals would keep us moving but would also help our heart rates and overall fatigue while pushing her.  This strategy worked pretty well for the first six miles.  Around the halfway mark, we slowed up a bit.  Liz was starting to notice some pretty good calf cramps.  She was able to nurse them along for awhile but they eventually became pretty painful.  I am sure everyone has good ideas to avoid cramps…. Liz knows them ALL… has tried them ALL…. Yet still has them every now and again when mileage gets high (we will figure this out before Grandma’s training).   Around the ten-mile mark, I was also pretty uncomfortable.  Pushing the stroller changes your stride quite a bit.  My hips and lower back were pretty sore.  By this time, we were mostly walking but still moving and taking turns pushing.   Emma also got sore along the way.  It was probably very hard to sit in that stroller with her legs straight for so long.  A few times we encouraged her to “take a breath and dig deep” and keep pushing on.  We made sure she knew she would EARN her medal too – she wasn’t just along for the ride, she worked hard too.  By the way..... Michele is a performance BEAST... she did the best of the three of us and could have kept running and running, even while pushing.

 

My favorite photo of the day.... this was the half way mark and she was all smiles. 

The fans…. AMAZING.  We knew Emma would have some fans along the way.  What I didn’t expect was all the fellow runners who encouraged us along the way.  So many random people talked and waived to Emma.  So many runners said “good job, keep it up” as they passed us.  Emma was like a Rockstar on the course.  It was so fun to see people cheering for her.  Water station and traffic control volunteers all got excited.  It was very cool.  Then there were HER fans.  The gals that know Wendy and Emma.  They were awesome.   We saw them along several watching spots along the way.  The first one was emotional for all including Emma.  Signs cheering her on included photos and sayings for her mom.  It was so inspiring.   We could here them cheering and yelling every time we approached them.  We also approached a volunteer station that was staffed by volunteer high school kids that Emma knew.  Emma’s cheer as we approached was the BEST.  She was SO excited.  Her fans should be proud of their work today to keep her moving forward.

 

A little blurry because I zoomed in, this was one with Wendy 💓

The finish line… you can probably guess how that was.  Awesome.  Emotional.  Amazing.  Humbling.  Everything.  The crowd cheered us in and Emma had her victory arms high in the air.   The hugs, smiles, tears in the photo say it all.   Emma is a half marathon finisher.

 

Approaching the finish line (my toddler had to join)

 

She EARNED this medal!

 

Thank you so much for the support to make this race happen.  

We know Wendy is smiling and proud! 

Carrie and Crew

More Exciting News.....

 Catching up….   I haven’t been to active on this blog over the summer.  I did keep moving and posted lots of running adventure photos to Facebook and Instagram (long_run_calybeal).  Summer was busy trying to find balance between my job as a nursing educator and my new position as a Family Nurse Practitioner.  Not to mention, two kids heading into their senior year of high school who have been busy being “seniors” and busy getting geared up for college applications.  Summer was also a bit busy with my toddler whose daycare closed due to staffing issues (sigh).   Even though life is busy (I think it always will be so no excuses), I am still here for the “long run” and have some exciting updates….and I mean REALLY exciting updates.

Whistlestop update...  We are one week out from Whistlestop.  To be honest, training has been minimal at best.  I am ok with that.  This half marathon isn’t about time or performance – it is about connecting with our dear friend Wendy and helping her daughter Emma become a half marathon finisher.  We have created can Facebook event so folks can follow our progress during the race.  We aren’t sure how long this will take us so we will post some progress photos along the way – fans can also post photos so folks can gauge when to be at the finish line.  Follow the event here:  Emma's Whistlestop Fan Club

 

We are wearing green shirts in honor of brain injury awareness.  We have our Wendy wings and the saying she always said "I run for those who can't".

And now for the REALLY exciting news……   I have been selected as a Grambassador for Grandma’s Marathon weekend in Duluth, MN.  If you know me, you know I LOVE this race.  My two favorite weekends are always Whistlestop and Grandmas and now I get the chance to promote Grandmas weekend and to share my journey from Registration Day to Race Day (October 1 - June 18).  I think this will be the best “job” I have ever had.  

 

Why Grandmas?   Growing up south of Duluth and now living in Ashland, Lake Superior is home to me.  Finishing in beautiful Canal Park just feels like a piece of home.  The DECC, the Ship, the Lift Bridge…. it’s home.   The Lake along the first stretch of the race…. it’s home.   The best part of this race… the fans.  They are the BEST.   There is tranquility the first five miles where it is the road and the lake (there are fans along this route too and they are great).  Once you leave Scenic Highway 61 and approach east Duluth, the fan support along the way is awesome.   Downtown Duluth is such a cool route.  And then of course you cross the bridge and head towards the Decc on the best last stretch ever.  Note to new runners:   you can see the finish line in the background near the ship…. Keep going and kick it into gear… but not a full out sprint yet, you are a good way away yet!  After rounding a few corners, the finish line comes into view and it is stunning.

This year’s plan….  As of this post, we are 37 weeks out from race day.  Yes, I counted.  As of now, I am planning on the half marathon.  I ran the full last year and said “one and done” and of course… I don’t mean that.  I really want another 26.2 but my twins are seniors in high school and graduate in June of 2022.  I am mindful that spring will be busy and I don’t want to commit to the full training plan.  If things go right I will run 13.1 at Grandma’s and 26.2 at Whistlestop in the fall.  The typical half marathon training program is 12 weeks…. which is 25 weeks from now (yes, I am fanatical about numbers).   My plan for now is to train harder than I ever have before.  If you read through past posts I talk a lot about diet, nutrition, and running.  I have made a major shift from thinking about “diet” and thinking about “fuel”.   My goal in the next 25 weeks is to finally hit that elusive weight loss goal.  I plan to run three days a week, cross train/strength train three days per week, have one rest day, and use my nutrition to fuel my body/workouts.  Not diet, train.  Be consistent, yet flexible.   I want to start the 12-week training program stronger than I ever have.   My mindset has changed from “weight loss” to “stronger”.   With this mindset, I will hit my weight loss goal and my running goals.  Here.... We.... Go......

 

 

 

Whistelstop first, then....Half Marathon Personal Best.... Let's Go!

Follow along for weekly updates from this Grambassador!

See you on the road.....

Carrie